Ex-cop to be freed pending retrial in bridge case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge hasordered the release of a retired New Orleans police sergeant who is awaiting a new trial on charges in the deadly shootings on a bridge during Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath.

Kaufman has been serving a six-year sentence after a federal jury convicted him of taking part in a cover-up to make it look as though the fatal shootings of two on the Danziger Bridge in 2005 were justified.

Engelhardt recently threw out the convictions and ordered a new trial for Kaufman and four other former officers, saying the case was tainted by prosecutorial misconduct.